Sex charges against trampoline coach to be withdrawn after he takes his own life
Sex charges against an award winning trampoline coach will likely be withdrawn in two weeks after he took his own life.
Last month, Belfast Magistrates Court heard that 41-year-old Simon Flannery had been found dead in a Budapest hotel and today defence solicitor Adrian Harvey confirmed he had been sent a screenshot of the Hungarian death certificate.
He told District Judge Steven Keown he ought to have a physical copy by next week 'and that will be provided to the court,' adding that he will also have to liaise with the Health Department in the Republic.
Simon Flannery
News in 90 Seconds - June 20th
Flannery, originally from Co Mayo but who had been living on the Upper Lisburn Road in Belfast, had been charged with possessing, making and distributing indecent images of children.
The 41-year-old, a former barber who was awarded the coach of the year accolade in 2019, was alleged to have committed the offences between 25 March 2020 and 29 November last year.
Until his arrest, Flannery had been the head of the trampoline programme at NI's largest trampoline club and had been involved in training some of its best trampoline gymnasts, many of whom have competed all over the world.
In court today the PPS said that in addition to the death certificate being lodged with the court, 'it has to go through the Assistant Director of the PPS' before the case can be marked was withdrawn.
Judge Keown adjourned the case to 4 July.
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